I have been involved with horticulture from an early age and my first jobs were in plant nurseries. I worked in Aquatic nurseries and orchid nurseries from 1977 until 1986. I became a qualified Horticulturist and diversified into mainstream horticulture and was self employed doing design, consultancy and maintenance. An interest in scientific horticulture led me to seek employment at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney Australia, where I eventually held a position of Senior Horticulturist.
I became interested in sustainability and conservation issues and in 1994 met Bill Mollison, the creator of the Permaculture concept. I stayed with him for a period at his Permaculture research institute and studied directly under him and earned my Diploma of Permaculture design. I spent several years running Permaculture courses and workshops and was instrumental in setting up a wetlands Permaculture Research Institute at Tilligerry Creek in NSW. I wrote for the International Permaculture Journal and my articles were also published by the Permaculture research institute of the USA. During this period I was also actively lecturing and consulting.
From 1996 to 1999 I co-ordinated several significant community food projects across remote regions of North Australia in Aboriginal communities. These included a Northern Territory University course in Environmental horticulture, a Certificate of Horticulture skills for the Kimberley college of TAFE and a position as trainer/co-ordinator for Milyakburra Community Development and Employment Program.
The past eight years have been spent between family commitments and development of my own property in the far north wet tropics of Australia. I continue to be actively engaged with the Tilligerry wetlands research project, consultation, design and community projects, especially with local schools.
